Iran and US hold nuclear talks: What you need to know

US officials have put Iran on notice as the two countries attempt to reach a diplomatic solution on the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The United States’ military is ready “to go deep and to go big” to prevent Iran developing its own nuclear weapon, according to the US defense secretary.

It comes as Iran and US held talks on the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme on Saturday, which US defense secretary Pete Hegseth described as “productive” and “a good step.” A second round of discussions will take place next week.

On Sunday, Mr Hegseth told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that while President Donald Trump hoped to never have to resort to a military option, “we’ve shown a capability to go far, to go deep and to go big.”

“Again, we don’t want to do that, but if we have to, we will to prevent the nuclear bomb in Iran’s hands.”

Mr Trump also previously said that military action was “absolutely” possible - in conjunction with Israel - if the talks failed.

“If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” he said.

“Israel will obviously be very much involved in that, be the leader of that.”

That followed a blunt warning in late March that “if they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”

Mr Trump pulled the United States out of an earlier multi-nation nuclear agreement with Iran in 2018, during his first term in the White House.

Analysts said Iran could now be just weeks away from producing a deliverable nuclear weapon, though Tehran denied it is building such arms.

Commentators are not anticipating miraculous breakthroughs when the US and Iran discuss Tehran’s nuclear program on Saturday. Picture: AFP

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

The US and Iran held talks this Saturday, hosted by Oman, with a second round scheduled in one week.

Iran’s nuclear ambitions have long worried western nations and some of its regional neighbours, particularly Israel.

The Islamic Republic currently has a small nuclear energy program, but it is Tehran’s growing capacity to develop its own nuclear weapons that has the USA concerned.

In 2015, when Barack Obama was in the White House, the US and Iran signed the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] which limited the Iranian nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

That agreement was also signed by the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia.

In accordance with the agreement, Iran’s nuclear activities are limited and there are “regular investigators” visiting the republic’s nuclear sites to ensure Tehran is not developing a nuclear bomb.

The deal is set to expire in October – ten years after it was signed.

WHY ARE THE TALKS SO IMPORTANT?

American President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday – during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – that if a deal was not made, Iran would be in “great danger”.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel and the US were “both united in the goal that Iran does not ever get nuclear weapons”.

Dr Alam Saleh, a senior lecturer in the Australian National University’s School of Politics and International Relations (Iran and The Middle East), described Iran as a “threshold nuclear state … meaning [it] is very close to making (a nuclear bomb)”.

“If all parties are happy with Iran, the sanctions will be removed forever,” Dr Saleh said.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Picture: AFP

WHY DOES THE US WANT IRAN TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM?

“Historically, the United States has been in charge of the balance of power in the Middle East for many decades,” Dr Saley said. “With Iran becoming a nuclear power, such balance of power will change forever. Therefore, the United States does not want a nuclear power with a powerful ideological background to be a nuclear power in the Middle East. Most of the energy security depends on the Middle East’s oil and gas. It’s very strategically located. It’s very close to Europe.”

WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF IRAN DOES NOT COMPLY?

The US is using “coercive diplomacy” on Iran, Dr Saleh said.

“That means using coercive threats as well as suggesting diplomacy. If Iran doesn’t comply, then the only alternative option is to use force,” he said.

Mr Trump suggested as much in a recent letter to Iran’s supreme leader, the Ayatollah Khomanei.

“I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing,’” Mr Trump told reporters last week.

WHY DOES IRAN WANT TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE US?

In an op-ed published by the Washington Post this week, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said his country was ready to “seal a deal” and “open a window toward diplomacy.”

“The ball is now in America’s court. If it seeks a genuine diplomatic resolution, we have already shown the way,” Mr Araghchi wrote.

A priority for Iran is lifting the sanctions that have plummeted the value of the rial, led to high unemployment and inflation. As a result, most of the country is impoverished.

An Iranian protester waves her country's flag during an anti-Israeli demonstration. Picture: AP

HOW ARE THE TWO SIDES DISAGREEING ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE TALKS?

The US is saying these talks on Saturday are “direct negations” but Iran is saying they are “indirect”.

“Direct means both Iranian diplomats and the American diplomats sit in one room, face-to-face and discuss their needs and their requirements,” Dr Saleh said.

Indirect simply means they might be staying in two different hotels, and there will be a mediator in this case that will be diplomats from Oman to kind of exchange messages between the two sides at the same time in the same place.”

WHAT IS IRAN’S NUCLEAR HISTORY?

While Iran’s nuclear program started in 1957, concern about their activities ramped up in the 1990s, when Tehran “started clandestine activities to enhance … their capability to enrich uranium,” Dr Saleh said.

In 2002, western intelligence officers realised Iran was secretly attempting to enhance their nuclear technology.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart following their talks in Yerevan on March 25, 2025. Picture: AFP

ISRAEL DOES NOT WANT IRAN TO HAVE A NUCLEAR PROGRAM. WHY?

Israel has its own nuclear weapons but views Iran as an threat.

Last year, Israel reportedly hit an Iranian nuclear site in retaliation for a missile attack.

The tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated since the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Iran is allied with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Dr Saleh described Israel as “very vulnerable in terms of security”.

“It’s very close to Iran. It’s surrounded by its enemies, mainly supported by Iran, and as a result, a nuclear Iran would be an existential threat to Israel.”

WHAT ARE THE ISSUES BETWEEN IRAN AND THE US?

“One of the main issues with Iran and the United States is that they don’t trust each other, and both sides have good reasons not to trust each other,” Dr Saleh said.

“Historically, they have a very complicated relationship since the early 1950s. What they need to do at this stage is to build up a trust.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Picture: AFP

Mr Araghchi said in order to move forward, both countries needed to agree that there can be no “military option” nor a “military solution”.

“Mark my words: Iran prefers diplomacy, but it knows how to defend itself,” Mr Araghchi wrote.

Experts note how important it is for the US and Iran to reach a deal.

“They need to consider each other’s concerns, worries and priorities in order to achieve a rational kind of result that would be good for both and would be good for the region”, Dr Saleh said.

“Any kind of war in the region will be a catastrophic war.”

- with AFP